Bill O’Reilly reportedly paid $32 million to settle sexual harassment suit in January

Former Fox News star Bill O’Reilly reportedly paid $32 million last January to settle a sexual harassment suit with one of his frequent guests, according to the New York Times. Although Fox knew about the payout, the channel then gave O’Reilly a four-year contract extension worth $25 million a year.

The latest woman to accuse O’Reilly is Lis Wiehl, who had been a legal analyst for the network for 15 years. According to the Times, O’Reilly is accused of repeated harassment, a nonconsensual sexual relationship, and the transmission of sexually explicit material, including gay porn, to Wiehl.

During an interview with the Times on Wednesday, O’Reilly said, “I never mistreated anyone … [The allegations are] politically and financially motivated, and we can prove it with shocking information, but I’m not going to sit here in a courtroom for a year and a half and let my kids get beaten up every single day of their lives by a tabloid press that would sit there, and you know it.”

Here’s 21st Century Fox’s statement:

Here is 21st Century Fox’s statement about today’s revelation about Bill O’Reilly’s $32 million settlement: pic.twitter.com/Tf5VG5DfH7

Josh Katzowitz is the Weekend Editor for the Daily Dot and covers the world of YouTube. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times. He’s also a longtime sports writer, covering the NFL for CBSSports.com and boxing for Forbes. His work has been noted twice in the Best American Sports Writing book series.